Gum has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the confectionery category by providing both nutritional and functional benefits. To sustain this growth, or to increase market share, manufacturers are looking to add interest and variety to the sector by launching new chewing gum and bubble gum products with appealing combinations of taste, texture, colour and functional properties.

The limitations imposed by existing gum manufacturing technology have made this difficult until now but new gum base and depositing technologies have just been developed that will open up the range of product possibilities available to the sector. Consumers may now be tempted by products that combine the dental health and nutritional benefits of gum with the visual appeal and exciting variety of tastes, textures and shapes that depositing technology offers.

There are an almost limitless number of combinations of shapes, colours, textures, flavours, inclusions and functional ingredients that will ensure the sector can sustain consumers’ interest in gum for many years to come.

Future developments will include sugar free products, which will be a significant factor in the battle to maintain newly acquired market share as candy manufacturers respond to concerns about diet and dental care by launching sugar free versions of both new and traditional candy products.

If you are currently in the hard candy business, there’s a chance to add a completely new dimension to your portfolio, through a retrofit to an existing system or a new plant. For existing gum producers, complete preparation-to-packaging systems bring new possibilities in gum shape, colour and texture through high percentage centre-fill products.

Baker Perkins, world leader in depositing technology and Cafosa, the leading gum base supplier, have worked closely together to introduce this new technology. Co-operation with leading flavour specialist Firmenich adds the ability to encapsulate particles of coloured flavour within hard candy or gum.

See new gum products